Silence is Key
by heaven-hell-earth
Summary: After the huge loss of the world championships, Bryan is approached by his mute sister, one he hasn't seen in years. Since she can't talk and has never learned sign language, they somehow have to find a way to overcome the silence. ?x? Rated T for later
1. Silence

Silence is Key

Summary: After the huge loss of the world championships, Bryan is approached by his mute sister, one he hasn't seen in years. Since she can't talk and has never learned sign language, they somehow have to find a way to overcome the silence.

A girl was leaning against a stone wall, watching the matches below. Her dark purple hair, up in an intricate half ponytail half bun combo, whipped around her face as harsh winds attacked the audience. Her bright green eyes were trained on one boy in particular, Bryan. She was sure to keep to the shadows, knowing that being caught wasn't an option.

Shadows danced about in the flickering light as she silently padded her way to the locker room of the Demolition Boys. The icy coldness of the hard floor seeped through the holes in her shoes, causing her black trench coat to be clutched even tighter to her frail frame.

The only thing she knew was that she had to get Bryan out of the abbey, even if it meant homicide. She knew a safe place where they could be together again, and he could even bring his teammates if it meant that he would come. She needed Bryan. Now. Death had come knocking several times, each time almost breaking down her door. All that she needed and wanted was Bryan to help her survive, just like it was before he had been taken away.

Maybe it was possible, but now only time would tell.


	2. Rose Red

Silence is Key

Thank you if you reviewed, it brightens up my day greatly. Onward!

* * *

She was laying down on the cold stone bench while waiting for the matches to be over. It could only be a matter of time, she had left in the middle of Bryan's match against some Chinese kid. Frozen air tried to force its way to her skin through the numerous holes in her coat. The high collar was tied around her porcelain throat, throughly hiding her neck.

While waiting, she had to bite her lip or gouge lines into her arms just to stay awake. Her first time alone had almost killed her, falling asleep cold would have killed her, if Bryan hadn't come home when he did.

Back then, she was colorful. Color was her friend and she would do anything to achieve it. Stealing was soon an art form for her. Taking what was needed and wanted without being caught was a guilty thrill. But a thrill nonetheless.

She sighed quietly before pulling off a damaged purple leather glove. At the end of her long, slender finger was silver nail polish. One of the first things she was able to 'borrow' was that silver little bottle. It was a sign of hope, really. Hope that she could save her dear, big brother.

The silver shined like the jewels she would never have legally. The light made them simmer, and gave her that hope that had eluded her for years on end.

The door slammed open to show the Demolition Boys. She jumped into a crouching position on the bench, her left and un-gloved hand dangling uselessly because of the biting cold.

"Who are you?" A murderous looking redhead asked, tensing. Tala, if she remembered correctly. She ignored him, eyes scanning the group before landing on her brother. There was a burly blonde, a midget with a similar hair color as herself, and then dear Bryan.

Deep within his eyes, she could see the confusion dancing wildly. "Victoria?" He whispered, stepping closer. Victoria nodded, green eyes shining in delight. She leapt down from the bench and landed in front of Bryan. Anger flashed in her eyes, with no way for it to speak out. Sign language wouldn't work, even if she knew it. With no paper or pencil to convey her thoughts, she used something universal. Something that everyone in the whole world knew the meaning of. She flicked him off. The middle finger of her left hand suddenly came to life, showing itself to the world.

She didn't feel weak at the moment, just uncontrollable anger at the one she loved. Even though she was only to the elder Russian's shoulders, she had the most power at the moment.

"You know that I had to go, I had no choice." Bryan tried to plead in his monotone voice, but Victoria could see the want for forgiveness. Victoria knew that he wanted words, but her inability to speak hindered that, so physical contact was needed. Before Bryan could even tell what happened, she slapped him horribly, making sure that her silver nails dug into the flesh of his cheek.

Bryan only stumbled backwards from the surprise of being hit by his baby sister, not from the strength. And even though she'd dug her nails into the wind-hardened skin of his face, only fine red lines remained of her attack.

There was no sound as Bryan stared into Victoria's eyes. Once past the armored walls that were put up in defense, her emotions were a book to be read. Anger and depression were the most evident, but happiness was also there, hidden barely. And there! Almost hidden in the swirl of feelings, was a glimmer of hope. He had no idea why, but it was there.

"Why don't you talk? Talk to me." The falcon pleaded, but the response was nothing. Anger and hatred pushed its way to the surface, spewing like a volcano. His hands pushed with all their strength, forcing Victoria's right side into the uneven stone wall. How dare she come and flick him off, slap him, and then not answer his questions?

Rose-red blood painted the wall as Victoria's body lost all strength. She slid down the wall, paper white flesh spotting the red. She lay in a heap, turning her head slightly to look at Bryan, giving up. Ruby mines danced around her face, narrowly missing her eye and lips. Now, only despair could be found in her eyes. Unknowingly, the lilac haired teen answered a question that she had been asking. With nothing to live for, her body finally gave up. It was falling asleep while her heart slowed down wildly.

Then, Bryan's index finger was running up and down her face, The warmth, no matter how small, gave her the hope she so desperately craved. The simple touch moved from the mines to her lips. Somewhere, deep in her mind, she knew that he was painting her lips with her own blood. But the touch! It was so nice, something she had been craving, wanting, needing for years. Death, once again, was forced back from her door. But good things had never lasted long in her life, she knew that her life would be claimed soon. How soon? Who knew? All that mattered was that she could see him at least once more.

Things shatter easily, and that is what happened when Bryan stepped away from Victoria. Depression sunk in fast, but the will to live was faster. She struggled to her feet, even though her muscles were giving out at every twist and turn. Pain freely contorted in her face as she leaned heavily against the wall, gasping for air that eluded her.

Once she was breathing normally, she lifted her hands so she could undo the knot on her neck. When the twine fell away, it left her neck strangely bare looking, all except for the black scar placed neatly over her voice box. Her hand brushed against it in a slow, sad way.

Victoria got some blood on her own index finger before writing on the wall. _Me hear 2 save yuu._

"Why?" Tala asked, coming in to defend Bryan.

_Boreis is bad. _Her hand writing was mess, then again, Bryan remembered that she wasn't the best writer. She was a wonderful speaker.

"Where would I go?" The falcon was curious. They were poor, so how could the afford to live anywhere?

_Me noe saffe plase._

"What if I don't want to come?"

She didn't bother writing on the wall. Instead, she walked over to her messenger bag that she had left on the bench. Somethings were shuffled around before a sleek, black .32 Caliber was pulled out. A smile graced Bryan's lips for a second. His sister had mastered the art of theft, but it quickly turned into a frown.

The gun had a homemade silencer on, and was pointed right at Bryan's heart. Victoria then moved it to point at her temple before moving back towards him.

The message was simple. _You die, then I die. That is the price I pay._

The trigger was pulled.

* * *

I want to know, who should Victoria be paired with? I don't think anyone else from beyblade will pop up except for Kai, maybe. Could you guys please give me ideas on who you think would be best? Thank you!


	3. Poisoned Minds

Silence Is Key

I would like to give Smiffyizdabest a big thanks for reviewing! And I would also like to thank those people who are reading this but can't be bothered to review, because at least I have a guess of how many people are reading this. And I came out with a prequel called Silent Regrets. I just wanted to tell you guys because it gives a bit of background to Victoria and Bryan. Anyway, onward!

Oh yeah! Me no own, only Vicki!

* * *

Victoria was able to watch everything with impossible clarity once her weapon let forth a bullet. The first thing that she was able to see, was Tala pushing Bryan out of the destructive path, only to be hit himself. She knew what it felt like to be shot, and was impressed at his ability to hide the pain. Blood soaked his white jacket as muscle was torn apart in his arm. Somewhere, in the back of her head, she noticed how Tala's hair was the same color as his blood.

She could also see the fear hidden in the eyes of the others as the redhead kneeled on the cold floor, cradling his left arm to his chest. Victoria felt a pang, a horrible one. The death capsule was meant for Bryan and Bryan alone, and only if he refused to accept help. Now, she had to watch the destruction that she caused when trying to create peace.

Blank green eyes watched in a daze as she saw the blonde, Spencer, began to tie a dirty cloth around the wound. _No! Dirt increases infection possibilities! _Victoria dropped the gun before grabbing her bag and sitting in front of Tala. She watched the distrusting ice blue eyes glare at her while she ripped the old bandage off and pushed the arm of his jacket up.

When she clicked her tongue, everyone looked at her in surprise. It was the first sound her mouth made, and it happened while she was pulling the bullet out. She was being careful to make sure the chances of infections were reduced. As Victoria was cleaning the wound with water, her extensive knowledge about medicines and healing came back. Back when she was little, she learned about anything, mostly medicine, so she could help Bryan when he came back injured. Looks like all that training was a good thing after all.

"She's a lot like a nurse." Bryan's whisper startled the groups' silence. Victoria knew that those words would help comfort Tala, even if only for now. As she wrapped a clean bandage around his forearm, she was interested by his pale skin. It wasn't as light a hers, but it came close. And his blood, the smell was quite interesting. It didn't have the same order as Bryan's or hers, or anyone else's for that matter. Victoria had smelt quite a bit of blood in her time, but Tala's was almost...sweet smelling. It wasn't like honey, or something sickly sweet, but it didn't reek of copper and iron.

After leaning back to admire her handiwork, Victoria stood and began to get rid of her entire existence. That meant that the gun and bullet had to be put away, find her gloves, and that she had to take a cloth to wipe away all of her blood. Her face turned a pale green as she wiped away her words and what seemed to be half of her face. Once the adrenaline and emotions had worn down, she could feel her veins pulsing, trying to keep ice crystals from forming.

While cleaning, she could feel eyes boring into her back with great intensity. She wasn't used to the attention. It unnerved her to no end. Why look at her? She was only Victoria! The girl who only three people knew of her existence before this...mess. She shouldn't have come, it was much to dangerous. It had been...what? Fifteen minutes since their loss? At least that much. And Boris was bound to come at anytime to punish Bryan and Tala.

And now, as she looked back on it, she realized that it's impossible to live without emotion. To her, she would be dead if she didn't put complete faith into what she was feeling. Over time, she had honed her skills so she could only feel extremes. Extreme joy, rage, and depression. Those three combined with hope had kept her alive. In Victoria's mind, life with no emotion would mean death. Which meant that Bryan was stronger than she thought at first. Or he could be just plain stupid. Either one would work for her, really.

Her last words disappeared into the reddening rag before whipping around. Praying to whatever power was up above to fuel an emotion, Victoria jabbed a thumb towards the back exit. She needed to have a energy boost, so she choose something at random to be angry at. It ended up to be the midget, Ian.

How could someone be so short? That should be against the laws of physics or something. Like,come on, was he warmer since he was closer to the earth?

Silent laughter spilled from her mouth as she strode toward the door. At the moment she didn't care if Boris walked in and saw her again, if anyone even bothered to follow her. Victoria had to clutch at her sides as she began to shake uncontrollably.

_God must hate me! _She thought as tears began to run down her face that mixed with the strange gasps. Her memory returned of happened years ago. In flashing, burning images it all came back, everything that happened that night. Why wasn't Bryan there? Why didn't he come to save her like her always did? _Because he was gone. Because I chased him away. _

She thought that she had been able to get rid of that annoying voice, the one she hated with a flaming passion. But it came back full force. High pitched laughing came from inside her head. She was the only one who could hear it. _The only one! _

Victoria's hands clamped onto her head, digging and pulling at the skin. As everything came back in full force, her mouth opened in a silent scream. The pain, the being at the mercy of another, the laughter. That goddamn laughter! It was everywhere! In her head and other people. It wouldn't leave her alone!

Every detail she had carefully hidden away and forced away was back. Every single fucking detail. She remembered the vivid sound of guns, _her addiction_, the death of her best friend, _her protecter_, the time of day,_ her source of hate_, and even the youth her friend seemed to give off,_ her savior._ And the worst part was, she never once said 'I love you' to Bryan. Not once. They knew by default that they cared for one another, they had no use for words. But now, she could never utter those three simple words.

And a hand was on her back, soothingly rubbing away the pain. She knew the hand so well, even if it was considerably larger then the last time. The small circles did let Victoria drop her hands and straighten up, but the tears still flowed freely. She hadn't cried in the past nine years, so the release was a relief. A sweet relief. She had rarely had them, even as a child.

Her hand flashed out to wipe away her tears with amazing speed. When she turned back around, she looked as if nothing happened. She motioned them towards the door. Bryan seemed to trust her enough to walk to the back exit, and the others soon followed.

Vicki gave a sigh of joy. She didn't have to use another weapon from her arsenal. Yet.

"Look here. My little Hawk has returned. Would you like some sliced ears?" Victoria whirled around, glaring at Boris. It was all his fault._ Damned feelings. They slowed me down._ She was filled with rage. She wasn't able to save Bryan as quickly as she would have liked. She wasn't able to do anything right. Nothing.

The little voice was back, laughing again. But Victoria ignored it as she mouthed something at the group of boys._ Go to the black car._ Then she turned back to the man who caused it all. Every little bit. Her left hand grabbed the handle of a different gun. A .36 this time. The black metal seemed to darkened against her pale skin.

"Oh. Have a love of toys, don't you?" Once again, she clicked her tongue as an answer while flicking him off with her right hand. She aimed at his gut, wishing to cause even a fraction of what she had to go through.

Highly sensitive ears told her two things. One, Bryan and the group had left. Two, more people were coming down the hallway. If she wanted to win this sick and twisted game, it had to be now. Not later.

_You know you want too. Kill him. He's the who caused me._ The little voice whispered temptingly. And for once, Victoria complied.

The trigger was pulled. The tiny grey bullet shot across the room to land in her nightmare's gut. A tiny smile graced her lips as she shot twice more. The copper smell of blood filled the room as people thundered down the hall in search of the loud noises. There was Boris! Slowly dying, coughing up his own life. There was no hope. The bullets were coated in her very own poison, one with no cure except for the one in the car.

As the front entrance opened, Victoria flitted out the back way. Her banged up face finally numbed in the cold wind outside. She knew that if she didn't get a little help soon, she might get infected.

If anything, that thought spurred her on even faster. She breathed heavily while sprinting toward an alley. She could hear voices trying to follow her. Good thing it was snowing, it would cover her tracks faster.

Her eyes narrowed as the harsh winds beat against her sensitive face. Finally, she found a black mini-van. She leapt into the passenger side and gestured forward quickly. The albino, Scott, pressed on the gas pedal before laughing.

"Have fun with the masses?" He chuckled while swerving to dodge police. Victoria punched him hard so he'd floor it. "I'll take that as a no."


	4. Question: Should I Kill?

Silence Is Key

Thanks to those who reviewed! That just makes me feel all fuzzy inside! So, my buddy and I have a blog. And on that blog is a story about Victoria and Bryan that I'm too lazy to put up here right now. So, yeah. The link, if any of you care, is in my profile. Onward!

* * *

Victoria could feel Bryan's curious gaze on Scott. He was an interesting sight, if you thought about it. Long, white hair covered his blood red eyes. His black glasses made his milk white skin look even paler. He also had a runner's build, lanky yet powerful. Her savior. It surprised her at times when she even bothered to look back.

She shifted in her seat before crossing her arms and looking out the window. Scott had slowed down to the normal speed, which she was grateful for. Now, the landscape wasn't a blur. Looking out of windows gave her inspiration for drawings. The only way she could express herself without the need for words.

"You know, asking questions is a great way to learn things!" Scott chirped while dodging another stray dog.

"How do you know Victoria?" Bryan demanded. A smirk found its way to her lips at this.

"Her name's Victoria? I didn't know that. Something you failed to mention in the past nine years." Victoria grunted in response. "Oh, I met her the same day some crazy guy tried to kill her. She's been living with us ever since." Scott sighed while playing with his hair. All he wanted to do was floor that damn thing, but nooooooo. He had to be good.

"Who's us?" Spencer grunted. Victoria jumped at the sound. She had totally forgotten about him and Ian.

"A.J. and Jennie. The other two in our team. You know, trying to find employment with no education whatsoever is kinda hard. Just plain easier to fight in the street and reap the rewards." Victoria nodded her agreement, shifting to look back at Bryan. She felt her eyes wander over to Tala. The redheaded boy captured her interest. Sure, she had seen him stealing her brother, but how he could show nothing yet everything at once was amazing.

"Can you tell what she's trying to say or what she's thinking?" Ian was intrigued by the silent girl, that and she had guns. Lots of guns.

Scott yawned, slowly pressing on the gas harder. "Yeah. The way she moves and shifts and grunts are all indicators to her thoughts and moods. I can basically read her mind." Victoria snorted. "Right now she thinks I'm a liar." A punch came from the passenger seat, making another purple bruise by the other ones.

The rest of the trip was in silence. Then Scott braked suddenly. Victoria barely noticed, being in a car with Scott had no more surprises. Bryan held Tala back so her wouldn't slam into Scott's seat and Spencer had grip on Ian's shirt so the midget wouldn't hit Bryan's seat.

"We have to walk a mile to get home. It is never good to keep a stolen car in your garage." Were Scott's words of wisdom as he yanked out the keys before pocketing them.

There was silence as the trudged forward in the snow. Victoria noticed how Tala was lagging behind, no doubt because of the gun wound. She slowed down before looping her arm around his waist and flinging his right arm over her shoulders.

Tala was going to object but was cut off by her grunting. Instead, he went along with it silently, secretly pleased that someone decided to help him. He leaned on her heavily, feeling his strength slowly drain away. He knew that a simple bullet shouldn't make him feel so weak, but he couldn't help it.

The snow danced in front of her face, but something kept bothering her. Like she forgot something important. But what could it be? She had no guilt, nor rage, nor depression. There was nothing to be forgotten. She had cleaned away her existence, helped Tala, killed Boris. _Poison!_ That was what had been nagging her. Within her head, she beat herself up continuously.

The wrong gun! She had grabbed the pure black one! Not the red ribbon one! If Tala died, it would be all her fault, then that stupid guilt would catch up and haunt her. That and Bryan would blame her for everything.

Victoria swept Tala into her arm, sprinting. She was stupid. Really stupid. She couldn't let Tala die, even if she didn't really know him. She could feel him struggling weakly as she dashed along the frozen road.

She smirked slightly. All that training Scott had forced her to do was finally coming in handy. She closed her eyes against the forceful winds, recalling on memory to help navigate her way home. Her feet kept pounding against the snow as she neared a broken down stone building. It was two stories high, but the front half had caved into a jumble of rocks.

A buzzing sound filled her ears, but Victoria only smirked. Good. The defenses for their home were working fine, as they should. When she stepped over the first of the stones, a large, winged serpent was found in the open corridor.

Instead of running away at the sight of the creature, she only nodded before continuing down the hall. Tala was now limp in her arms, but was nowhere near dead yet. He had exactly five hours before the poison would reach his heart, and then he had to wait another hour in unbearable pain as the poison took hold of his heart.

The mute girl had memorized everything she could about her inventions, it also helped that she had had a few 'test subjects'. Just a few.

She moved into a small room. There wasn't much in it. Just a straw mat with a few blankets, a tiny table constructed out of scrap wood, and then at least a couple dozen weapons littering the floor. With an unexpected ease, Victoria stepped over everything in her way before laying Tala down on her bed. Right next to the pillow lay a gun with a red ribbon tied around the handle.

She shook her head before searching her room. That stupid chest had to be somewhere, but where? That goddamn thing held a kid's life in its ungrateful little hands! How dare it to randomly disappear?

"What're you looking for?" A small African girl stood in the doorway. She was about ten years old, her eyes full of curiosity. Electric green hair kept falling in front of her eyes, causing her to flip her hair back. She had walked in on Victoria while she was on her hands and knees, throwing everything around. The Hawk growled before grabbing a gun and pointing at her temple, jabbing it several times for added effect.

"Oh! You mean those antidotes? You gave them to A.J. because he cut himself on one of your knives and you were too lazy too get them yourself." Victoria winced at the memory. Once again. Things were completely her fault. She had been too lazy, so she told A.J. to 'take the whole damned box' as Scott kindly put it.

The girl smiled wildly. "I'll go get them from Brother, you stay here and keep a watch over Mr. Red." She grinned before bouncing off down the hall. Vicki sighed before laying down on the floor. She just stayed there, waiting. After a few minutes, the right side of her face began to burn.

A growl came from her throat as she began to look in her bag. Once she found a packet of herbs, Victoria took a few pinches before putting them in her mouth. There, she chewed them till they were ground up and were coated nicely in saliva. She spit the solution into her palm before rubbing it on her face.

Victoria tried to frown, but found that the right edge of her mouth wouldn't move. She sighed in defeat. So now, she had a permeant smirk on. With nothing else to do, she began to undo her hair. She cursed herself. Why in hell did she have to be so complicated in the mornings? After fiddling with her hair for about ten minutes, it was finally loose. On one side, her bangs had fallen off and onto the floor._ Great._ She grabbed at a knife, one without poison, and began to chop off her bangs on the left side. Sure, it had taken years to grown them out, but at least her hair was still down to her waist.

But now, she had to deal with a pile of hair. She bunched up the hair in her fist before crawling over to her bed and Tala. She lifted up the boy before stuffing the pillow with her hair. If you looked inside, you could see hair from the rest of her teammates and feathers from Mrs. Hawk. That faithful day, years ago, she made Scott take her back for the bird. She was lucky she got there when she did, otherwise that stupid fox would have gotten it. And it almost did, until she tackled it.

She gently put Tala back down before looking him over. Well, nine years ago he looked to be about seven. Which would mean he should be about sixteen now. Victoria smirked._ This kid is about the same age as brother and I._

She had power over someone's life, and it felt good. It made her feel as if she was important, as if she mattered. She could kill him, and say it was an accident. Scott would know she was lying, but he wouldn't question his leader. Scott knew how messed up she had become, how hard she tried to stay sane with her past haunting her at every turn. He knew that killing and stealing was only a cheep trill to keep herself alive, so he didn't question it. He was the only one who witnessed her almost death, the only one who could see her slipping, the only fucking one who cared enough to let her cling onto what few things she had. The only one.

But she wouldn't kill Tala. She couldn't. She had tried to save him oh so many years ago. She had tried to take him away from Boris, had tried to save him from that horrible life. It was impossible to imagine what had happened there, but she was one of the only people from the outside who had a faint idea.

She closed her eyed and leaned against the wall. Why wasn't Jennie here yet? Why didn't she bring the chest? Why was she making her kill someone? Was God angry? Did she have to kill an innocent to make up for something? Was He angry that she let Bryan endure nine years of punishment that she could have stopped? But she couldn't have stopped it. There was no way for her to sneak in, so she had to wait for them to enter the outside world. Wait. She could have gone in, in a way. She could have sent Scott or A.J. in. She could have risked them. But that would be like killing her family all over again. She would have never seen Scott's laughing face or heard his sarcastic voice again. She would have never seen A.J.'s moon-like eyes, or feel the touch of his black fingers as he helped her up again. She would be left alone with a mourning Jennie, who would shun her for getting rid of her brother.

All in all, there was no way to save Bryan, until today. Should she have risked her new brothers for an old one? Or was it better to wait, so she could have all three? Yes. She was selfish. She didn't want to be alone again. She didn't want to be forced to live alone when she knew she would die. Either by her hands, or those of another. Maybe she should have Hawikanna kill her. Then her bitbeast would go to whoever found it first. Probably Scott, but A.J. was stronger. Her black brother and a similar fighting style. Or maybe they would give it away to a little girl who reminded them of Victoria. Then they would teach that little girl to become Victoria. Or maybe they would just get rid of the bird and forget about her. She wasn't really important. Sure, she fought almost everyday from dawn to dusk, trying to earn as much money as possible, she didn't eat as much as she should so the others would have enough. They would be better off without a failure.

If she was better, stronger, they wouldn't be living in some rundown building, using their bitbeasts as 'unknown spirits' to keep everyone away. They would be living, at the very least, in an apartment with a good food supply and a decent roof over their heads.

Footsteps. Who do they belong to? Are they an angel's? Did He send one down to kill her? Did He send them down to tell her her fate? She already knew her fate. She was to die, and go to Hell. Once there, the other's were free to go to Heaven. _I will take all their sins with me, so only I get hurt. So only I get punished. _

"Captain? Don't fall asleep!" A small voice entered her head. It reminded her of Jennie. Oh, so they angels were playing hardball. "I have the chest! So just wake up!" The chest? What chest? Oh yeah, the chest to save someone. Who was that again? Oh yeah. Tala. She had to save him.

_Wake up. Wake up! WAKE UP YOU STUPID BODY! I don't want to go. Not yet. Not until I save a life._

"A.J.! She won't wake up! I don't know why!" A.J.? He left his post? That must mean Scott came back. That means Bryan is back! Wake up! Wake up to at least see Bryan one more time. She heard crying. That meant Jennie was crying. Her baby wasn't aloud to cry. Whoever made her cry must pay. Wait. She had made her cry. That meant she herself must wake up, then human punishment could happen.

Victoria's eyes slowly blinked open. She was tired. Horribly. She hadn't slept at all the night before, and now it was catching up. She was soon gasping for breath as Jennie hugged her so hard.

"You're alive!" Tears of sadness turned to tears of joy, even the most dense of people would know that. Victoria slowly pried Jennie's arms off before nodding, smiling. She motioned for the chest. Oh! That lovely piece of wood! Even if it was made of scraps, it could take a beating.

She quickly unlocked the chest before grabbing a needle. She had gathered a bunch of those buggers when she snuck into a doctor's office. Don't ask why. She just had a feeling that they were needed.

Each needle was already filled with the antidote, luckily for her. Victoria grabbed Tala's arm before jabbing it in. She was lucky. She only had four hours before his death. But the poison wouldn't leave his system for another two days. Leaving Tala almost immobile.

She leaned back into the wall, somewhat noticing that Jennie climbed into her lap and that A.J. was leaning on her side. Finally. She was warm. She was aloud to sleep. Before fully nodding off, Victoria opened her eyes and saw Bryan standing in the doorway. There was no emotion on his face, but his eyes looked almost hurt.

Just to spite him, she turned the right side of her face to him before falling asleep. That way, he could see all of those damned scars he caused physically. Too bad she couldn't show the emotional ones.


	5. Money

Silence is Key

Today is my birthday! Yay! One year older! So, yeah. That's the most interesting thing I have to say right now. Kay people, onward and have fun!

I don't own beyblade. -pouts-

* * *

Hmm. Dreaming. It's nice. It kept her normal. It kept her from insanity. But, something was bothering her. Why was she being awakened? Was there anything that she should remember? Oh yeah. Let's see. She fell asleep with Jennie and A.J. and she let Bryan know how annoyed she was with him. Wait. Waaaaaaait. There was something. Sommmmethinnng.

She never was a morning person, at least not until she was able to fully wake up. A sound made it to her ears. A moan? Her memories came back in a flash. She had helped Tala yesterday. That meant that he should be awake. Which meant that she had to wake up, but God, she was comfortable and warm. She didn't want to get up._ Stop making noise. Please. I just want to sleep._

The noise wouldn't stop, forcing Victoria to flutter her eyes. She glanced up to see Tala trying to sit up. She sighed, not really wanting to move, but having to. Jennie, luckily, was a heavy sleeper, so she moved the small girl onto A.J.'s lap. She moved countless weapons away as she sluggishly moved to Tala's side.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was slurred with sleep. Her eyes were halfway closed as she kneeled by his head and helped him to sit up.

"Water," He grounded out, glaring at her. Oh, how could have she forgotten? The poison, if one was able to survive, it made one incredibly thirsty. Nasty little side effect she wanted to add. Victoria moved toward the wall before tapping a few rocks. Once happy, she pulled some out of the wall. The wind found its way into the room as she stuck her hand out the hole. She came back with a fist full of quickly melting snow. She put the stones back into their proper places before moving back toward Tala. She helped him to sit with her right hand and held the snow to his lips with her left. He greedily drank it up and the situation repeated until he had drunk his full.

Tala's ice blue eyes looked up at Victoria, a smirk on his face. "You look like shit." He stated like it was the most casual thing in the world.

Her green eyes narrowed as she flicked him off. In her sleep, Jennie mumbled "Screw you, Red..." Now Tala's eyes narrowed as Victoria's turned into those of laughter.

"No thank you. I am quite tired!" Tala's eyes shone in amusement as Victoria leapt at him. The only reason he risked saying that was because Bryan was in the doorway. The lavender haired boy strode over quickly only to pull her up off the ground. It wasn't very hard, she weighed about the same as she did nine years ago.

"Don't attack Tala..." Bryan said as she went limp. Her feet barely touched the ground as she pouted.

"But what if I wanna?" Three heads turned to see Jennie awake and yawning, yellow eyes closed. She blinked then open before smiling and leaning back into a still sleeping A.J.

"What happened to me?" Tala asked, finally realizing that he wasn't in the abbey.

"I can answer that!" Jennie began to wave her hand around wildly, but wouldn't speak until Victoria nodded in her direction. "Mama shot you with the wrong gun! She poisoned you, but you're all better now! The same thing happened to A.J., but with knives..." The electric green trailed off, clearly remembering.

Bryan raised his eyebrows to 'Mama' comment. "Stop the yelling. Way to early in the morning." A.J. groaned, pushing his burnt orange hair out of his eyes. "Wait... you have your hair down? This late in the day?" His question caused everyone to look at Victoria, who was still above the ground. She only nodded, showing that she knew that it was down. "Man. You must have had a rough day yesterday. Not counting your scars or anything..." He smirked at her. Sadly, it was one of A.J.'s favorite past times to razz her in the mornings when she was lazy.

Victoria stuck out her tongue before poking Bryan hard in the stomach. He let go in confusion as she dropped to the ground gracefully. She waved goodbye before running out of the crowded room.

Jennie made a farting sound with her mouth before giggling wildly. "Mommy went to work!" Bryan and Tala both looked at her strangely as she stood up and ran to the door. A faint "My shift..." was heard by the trio.

Scott walked into his room when he saw Victoria forcing a brush through it. Finally, she gave up. It was only a Saturday, why loose time with looks? She quickly put her hair into a ponytail before gesturing to the window. Scott only sighed as he followed her out and away from the stone building.

"You work too much, Girlie." Scott said matter-o-factly at the brooding girl. She only shrugged as the duo walked closer for warmth. Their worn jackets didn't do much in keeping body heat. Victoria's eyes were glazed over in thought as her right hand caressed a gun deep in her coat pocket. She had to win at least ten battles today if she even wanted to_ think_ about eating. Jennie and A.J. were eating more and more, not to mention there were four more people to think about. And she wasn't even able to threaten people if she lost, since they were going to a bigger park this time around.

"No fighting, killing and or threatening. I mean it. We're going to one of the largest beyblade parks here, so no messing it up. We're actually lucky that you got those scars, the police were getting closer..." He kept talking like that as they got closer to their destination. She gave grunts every now and then just to keep her friend talking.

The duo stepped through the large metal gates into the park. The snow was slowly falling as Victoria scanned the area, a wicked smile appearing as she found her prey. She had seen him in the Worlds, and her ability to memorize attacks was fairly. She strode toward the dual hair blader, Scott shaking his head as he followed.

Kai watched her approach with the boy close behind. He was almost interested by her, how confident she was. Tyson was overly excited when he saw the graceful girl come towards them, but faltered when he noticed her disfigured face. She took a bow before the boy behind her started talking.

"Her name's Vicki, and she would like to challenge you. Will you accept?" Kai looked between the two before shrugging.

Tyson began to jump up and down. "I will! I will!" Scott glanced in his direction before sighing.

"Only if you are willing to bet a hundred." Tyson only nodded, over confident that he would win.

Victoria took her stance, smirking. Kai was uneasy, and she could feel it. She knew that she looked a lot like Bryan, but only if you looked. When she was smaller, they looked more like twins. They stood and walked the same way, the same anger problems, and the same smile.

"3, 2, 1! Let it rip!" Scott yelled as the two teens launched. Tyson began yelling at his blade, and Vicki let him. She soon found that every moved could be predicted. He moved the same way every single time. Silly boy. Even with his relentless attacks, she still had the upper hand.

"Go Dragoon!" Tyson yelled, smiling as his bit-beast attacked. She kept her face blank, but on the inside, she was laughing her head off. Not like her voice's laughter, but like the laugh she had when she could speak.

_Hawikanna, Dark Talon!_ A loud scream came from her bit-beast as it dived bombed, silver feathers fluttering in the wind. The onyx gem in the center of her chest began to glow as claws ripped away at the dragon. No one had to wait long after that for Tyson's blade to stop spinning.

Scott happily stuck his hand out. "A hundred, thank you!" He chirped.

"Do I have to pay you?" The world champ whined, a pleading look on his face.

"All's fair in love and war. Sadly, this is peace." Once again, Victoria didn't think that Scott made much sense, but that was him in a nutshell. Begrudgingly, Tyson handed over the money.

The duo continued to challenge kids of various degrees until they had finally made four hundred dollars. Even though poor, they had a strong sense of justice. They wouldn't charge a mediocre blader more than 25, so the amount made for each battle kept varying.

Today, they had been extremely lucky. Normally the pair could barely make it over two hundred without Victoria attacking some poor kid and Scott having to drag her away before the police were able to come.

As they traveled even farther down the street, Scott watched her from the corner of his eye. He noticed her slouched form and how she kicked at the lumps of ice. "You can't be tiered already, can you?" Victoria shook her head. "You don't want to shop? Normally you demand to." She quietly nodded, fatigue painting the skin under her eyes a deep purple. "I'll wait on the street corner. Go send A.J. up." She turned back around as Scott continued up the street.

Finally, peace. Rest. No restraints. She was glad that Scott's ever watchful gaze had been getting under her skin for the past few days. She toyed with her hair as she slouched even lower. Anger was slowly boiling up inside, getting ready to explode. People. She hated them. No, wait. People in general were okay. It were those adults. Those greedy pigs who would look down at anyone of lower status. Those minions of evil who hated you just because of what you looked like or how you lived.

And the funny thing was, they were the ones who created this whole mess. Without them, there would be no war, no pain, no suffering. Every child would have to work and survive and strive for perfection without that meaningless help they gave when pretending to care. All they wanted to do was force their beliefs on you and then have you carry on their thoughts once they die.

Then again, no matter what, all would become those monsters. But some of those monsters are nice, but a small, select few. She knew that it was probably the side that hated her parents talking, but the look of disgust older people showed to her as she passed on the street was real. They all hated her for something that wasn't even her fault. Then again, that is the way of humans. To judge before we know. The way of some humans. Scott wasn't like that. Neither were Jennie or A.J. or Bryan, she hoped.

Even curled into herself while walking, she still managed to be graceful. And with a glare planted on her face, she still had an unusual beauty, maybe not something one might call 'hot' or 'cool'; more of an expression one of royalty might wear. And in this way, she continued her way to her hidden castle.

Once she got home, she took Jennie's post and had A.J. go on to the store where Scott waited. Victoria settled down behind a fallen stone column on the top floor, exposed to all of the elements. From here, she could see and not be seen, much like how tinted windows worked. She leaned back and let lazy eyes scan the ground, beyblade ready to launched.

She was completely still, frozen like a statue, as she waited for people to try and enter. While waiting, her thoughts drifted to the subject of Bryan and his friends.


	6. Moving Dreams

Silence is Key

Hi peoples! So sorry about a mistake I made in the last chapter. Victoria said something (gasp) that a sleeping Jennie was meant to say. So, yeah. That's it. Onward!

By the way: _italics_dream

A week had passed since the Demolition Boys had joined her family. Amazingly, everyone ended up finding those who they spent most of their time with. Jennie had found a love in Spencer, using him a jungle gym and just laughing when she annoyed him enough to get him to chase her. A.J. and Ian tended to be seen together, and shortly after a large amount of pranks are pulled. Bryan and Scott were constantly around Victoria, arguing about who knew her better. Victoria, sadly, was stuck with Tala in her bedroom.

Since she her 'test subjects' had never lasted more than three days after surviving the poison, how could she know that the muscles would temporarily be paralyzed? So Tala, as his revenge, asked the dumbest questions just to Bryan and Scott fighting. And because she couldn't talk, she had to cater to Tala's every need while listening to the dumbest things like 'If Vicki could have anyone, who would be?'s and 'should Vicki ever murder a loved one, what would she do?'s. Sometimes, fights would break loose and Spencer and A.J. would have to be called in to restrain the boys.

Tala, Bryan, and Scott, luckily, were all still sleeping in her room, meaning she decided to eat an apple or something of the sort. Hunger was ripping and tearing her apart since she hadn't eaten much in the past week. Stale bread here, rotten apple there.

She passed Jennie's room only to laugh, silently, at the sight before her. Her Baby was sitting on top of Spencer, tying his hair up with old pieces of twine so there was a mass of mini ponytails. The small child just gave an innocent smile before continuing. In one of her small hands was a small bottle filled with pink nail polish.

Victoria was content just to wander around, after being stuck with three people who could talk. Two who didn't know what she was saying and one who would just pretend not to. Oh the joy. Oh the freaking joy. She could hardly contain herself as she continued down the twisting hallways. They were like a maze, and there was a reason why the four main bedrooms were so far apart even though they all tended to sleep in the same room.

She walked past room after room, letting her feet carry her around. She soon found herself on the top floor looking down on the icy streets. She could hear Ian and A.J. planning something, but she didn't care. Instead, she decided to just watch the streets so he could enjoy his time interacting with someone decently close to his age.

Ice bit into arms, but she welcomed it. Her thoughts on the world was that if something happened, it was meant to. That was one of the reasons she wouldn't fight if a strong side of death came knocking. Sure, she would fight if it wasn't that meaningful, like if she was to die in her sleep. But if she had to give her life, she hoped she would be strong enough to give it up.

Being up so high, and outside, made her feel alive. And in more ways than one. The most important was that the insistent burning the right side of her face felt was numbed in the cooler weather. When no one was around, she would use the broken mirror she kept and used it to press down on the sorest parts, urging the puss out.

She knew it was infected, but she was too proud. Way too proud. Only when it had her on her death bed would she ask for help. And the feeling! It…made her feel alive. Even when her fingertips barely brushed over the hurting skin, a shiver of painful pleasure ran up and down her spine. It was intoxicating. She knew how bad it was but just could get enough of it. She wanted to feel so bad that she would go by any means needed to get it. Anything.

She tensed and dropped to the ground. It was the police, and a bunch of them. Victoria silently launched her beyblade, using all of her concentration to keep it quiet. All the 'justice enforcers' needed to charge right in is a buzzing noise.

Suddenly, she noticed that A.J. was behind her with Ian. She turned to him before mouthing to him._ Tell the others. Run._ The two boys rushed downstairs, barely making a sound. Still, she watched the group, slowly inching foreword until she was completely on her stomach and head barely poking over the top. The snow gathered on her head, making her blend in at least a little. They were getting dangerously close, and Victoria instantly tensed. Her bit-beast reacted to her emotions, causing the large bird to fly out. The dark gem sunken deep into the armor glittered dangerously in the rising sun.

They were startled back, until they began to shot. Sure, mortal weapons wouldn't work on the bird but they did scare her. The sound. They were the sound! That awful noise killed her on the inside. Make it stop! Make the pain, the sound, the wound stop!

Hawikanna rose high into the sky before dive bombing the poor police. Victoria spent her time running down the stairs and checking every room to make sure everyone was out. Her last stop: her own room. She ran in, finding no breathing things. Hurrying, she dumped her bag onto the floor and began to grab guns, knives, antidotes, money, and a little food, repacking. She put the messenger back over her shoulder before throwing her coat over.

The pounding of feet on stone rung about in the empty halls. She didn't care about sound now, all she had left was to call her blade and be on her way. Within her head, she told the hawk to withdraw and come to her. A buzzing noise was coming right at her before landing in her outstretched hand. She continued down through the maze before finding herself in the 'backyard'.

Tala was in A.J.'s arms, Spencer was holding a crying Jennie, Bryan and Scott weren't fighting and Ian was sitting on the ground. Anger welled up inside. Didn't she tell them to run? To keep themselves safe.

Scott knew what she was thinking and countered. "You wouldn't have known where we had gone." He was right, so she only nodded before herding them away. Deep in the shadows, she swore she saw someone. Instead of dwelling on it, she just had them run faster. Her ears could tell that something blew up. Most likely it was her home. The once place where she was happy after Bryan left. It tore away at her inside. Forcing herself to listen to insane laughter.

_You knew…And you didn't stop it._ Victoria told the voice. Inside her head, she could see the voice shrug. It 'didn't know'. Whatever that meant.

They weren't aloud to stop until the sun finally began to set. Victoria led them to a small park before ridding a spot under a tree of snow. She pointed, telling them that it was time for bed. They didn't argue, but Jennie just couldn't stop crying. She pulled away from Spencer and ran over to Vicki. She latched on really tight and the older girl had no choice but to cuddle with the younger. She held the small child tight to her chest before laying her head on Scott's stomach and curling into a ball.

The original four moved into their normal formation with the Demolition Boys filling in any and all gaps. It pretty much looked like a dog-pile, with everyone's body twisted and curled into another's.

_An early to mid-twenties version of Victoria stood alone on that russian hill. Her hair was several shades away from black, eyes a mossy green. She looked elegant in the long silver-ish dress. It had slits up to her mid-thigh and a gold belt that was snug under her breasts. In the middle of the belt was a black stone. Around her pale neck was a gold ribbon._

_As the sun slowly made his way up the sky, her stone began to glow. A beam fell from the sky and cut her in half, forcing herself to look. One half had turned into a small seven year old girl in a baggy sweater, light purple hair and blue-green eyes with a scared look on her face. The other side had morphed into a woman in her thirties in a short blood red dress. Her almost black hair waved in the wind as her dark and vibrant green eyes pierced into anything that they saw. A red ribbon was tied around her neck and hair hung in front of the right side of her face._

_Victoria knew that they were her, past and future. What she didn't get is why she was being shown this. Then it hit her, there was no present for her yet. She would have to chose between saving innocence or surviving and forever battling evil. The two figures looked at one another before curtsying and smiling._

_Looks of pain contorted their faces, forcing tears up ino their eyes. As the saltwater fell, a black rock fell from the sky, landing in the snow. From the rock burst a silver light that washed everything away. The pained faces turned to those of content as they lay in peace on the ground, breathing so slowly they looked dead. From their chest's rose two gallant birds. A falcon from the child and a hawk from the woman. The two twisted and turned in the air together, creating invisible patterns._

_When looking back down at the rock, it wasn't a rock anymore. It had changed. Into an egg._

Victoria woke up startled from her dream. As she lifted her head to the night sky, she sighed. She had a feeling, and it wasn't good.


	7. Swimming Lessons

Silence is Key

Okay. So. Important. This isn't over yet! I mean it! I still have the epilogue to put up, and then it's over. I really love playing around with Victoria, she's like one of my favorite characters ever! Sadly, I don't think I'll use her again unless I do a sequel.

Anyway, once this is over, I'm going to put a new story called Stolen Youth. I already have the first chapter done, but I want to finish this up before putting that up. Onward!

**WARNING: SLIGHT INCEST!**

* * *

_The shadows are where the deepest of secrets hide. _Was Victoria's thought as she glanced into the darkness. The moon was shining down onto her family, giving them a strangely angelic glow. For those with a fairer complexion, they seemed to give off an internal light. And those with darker skin, they truly looked like sweet angels.

It was dead silent, and that's what set her off. No sound was the sign of impending doom. As bushes began to rustle once more and crickets chirped, she was able to settle down once more. She curled back up since Jennie had begun to shiver from the cold. Still. She wasn't able to shake the feeling that someone was watching them, that they only had so much time.

Grunting softly, she forced those thoughts from her mind. She let herself slip back into a dream land, wishing to let go of the pain that hunted her in the real world. But she wasn't able to slip back into that simple place. She just drifted in that dream limbo, the place where you don't dream but you aren't awake. Her senses were on overdrive, picking up on every little thing.

That's how she knew that a hoard of people were coming. And they weren't your friendly neighborhood drunks. They were those lovable 'peace enforcers'.

As quietly as she could, she kicked Scott awake. By the time he awoken, the group was considerably closer and within hearing distance of the others. They both worked on waking everyone else, except for Jennie who was still clamped onto her stomach like a parasite. As the sleepy group stumbled to their feet, Scott and Victoria ushered them out of the park.

The sound of rushing water reached her ears._ Moskva River!_ She thought before slowing down their pace slightly. Just enough so the police would be able to follow. As they headed toward the river, a plan slowly began to take form. Every detail was carefully thought out, nothing would go wrong. At least, she hoped so.

They leapt and ran until they were finally at a low cliff. As they looked down, they could see the tumbling river. She motioned to Spencer and A.J. to start moving rocks. Seven to be exact, and they had to be about the weight of one of the bladers.

_Every detail._ She thought as a smile took over. Until it hit her. Not enough time! There was no way to say goodbye to Bryan, no way to say how she was sorry. There was no way to say sorry, no way to say the simple words, 'I love you'.

Her lips began to tremble slightly before closing her eyes. She had to think. Only ten minutes left, if that. It had to be quick yet meaningful, something he could never forget. Something that would imprint on him even more than half of his life in BIOVOLT. And she couldn't cry. Not yet, anyways. She had to stay strong, even if it was just for herself. She gently placed Jennie onto the ground.

Victoria strode over to Bryan before grabbing his head and yanking it down to her eye level. She stared at him before gently pushing her lips to his. Even as he stiffened and the group turned to her, she poured every single emotion into that simple kiss. The most dominant was sorrow, but followed soon after with love.

For her, this was the only way to convey her feelings to him without words. And Bryan understood this and soon relaxed, the touch supplying the words he wished to tell her. It told the story of his love, of how he tried to find his way to her before giving, of how much he hated everything because he couldn't see her goofy smile.

And yet, all to soon they broke apart. Victoria smiled shyly before backing up. She had just given her first kiss away to the one she loved the most. That truly made life great for. Now, she could leave without those blasted regrets following her.

Then, to each and every member of her family, she gave them a kiss. Her team got a quick peck on the lips while Spencer got one on his cheek and Ian on his forehead. Victoria took off her coat and gave Scott her bag, after taking several different guns and knives and placing them in the belt loops of her jeans and tying them with twine.

She moved to Tala, debating on what kind of kiss to give him. He leaned against a tree, quite bored.

Finally it seemed as if she decided. She knew exactly what kind to give him. There had been a reason why she had never attacked Bryan and Scott so talking so much. It was Tala. Somehow, she had fallen for the sarcastic redhead.

Everything about him was perfect, yet not perfect. He was her perfect, that was all there was there to it. Sure, she had been in relationships before. But nothing nor no one had this kind of power over her, except for one thing. And that was Bryan. Right then and there, she realized that she had fallen for both of them. She had fallen for her brother and protecter. But also her charge and enemy. She couldn't be content with one or the other, so she would have either both or neither.

And with those thoughts, she kissed him hard. All of her pent up anger, passion, and worry went into that kiss. Her lips, as well as his, were bruised from the force. She nipped at his bottom lip, getting a gasp from Tala. She took her chance and let her tongue wander in his warm mouth quickly before pulling away. She was breathing heavily as she pointed forward. Scott watched her for a few seconds before darting away. Everyone soon left the cliff except for Bryan.

"Good luck. I love you too." He whispered before disappearing into the shadows. Victoria smiled but winced at the sudden pain in her cheek. While silently cursing, she pushed against the rocks. One after another, she pushed them over the edge. Loud splashing and water brushing against her face told her that it had worked, her plan. Well, phase one did.

She had just dropped the Jennie sized rock over the edge when she heard people behind her. She shifted, only showing her left side as she looked at the police.

"We got you. It has taken years, but we've found you." A short stocky one said. Victoria turned around fully before grinning. She let their flashlights go over her face, not even flinching as she stared right into the light. Finally. She was at peace. She didn't feel pain nor fear nor love. Just peace settling down in the center of her stomach. And, finally, she found happiness. Not that fake stuff, but the true kind. There it was, making her fill up like a balloon. Content swirled about her after being denied all her life. Even after being put down by her parents, she was still capable of such happiness made her feel whole again. Like nothing was wrong. Life was good, her family was safe. That was all she needed to continue. That was it.

The men took a step toward her, hoping to sedate her somehow before catching her. She was wild one, it had taken them years just to find where she lived, and several more just to get the guts to confront her. She shook her head, as if saying 'no luck there, fellows'. She then backed toward the edge of the cliff and jumped off backwards, twisting and turning as she fell down to land safely in the water.

What she didn't count on was having her right arm half smashed by one of the rocks she had pushed in. Without one of her arms, she gave up slowly, letting the water surround her. Sure, the dirty water stung her face until she was curling in on herself and the ice cold water did freeze her slowly. But still, she refused to give up just yet.

As the the ice began to freeze her, Victoria pushed her head out of the water, gasping for sweet air one last time before letting the water take over. She closed her eyes while death came knocking. It was insistent, but something was keeping him out.

And there! In her head, she saw her voice keeping it shut. _You saved innocence, so I'll hold him back as long as I can. Besides, I don't want to die. _The voice smiled goofily before leaning against the door once more, shouting insults randomly at death. Victoria smiled before drifting off to sleep. There was no point in staying around longer, was there? She had saved the most innocent people she knew, and Scott was more than capable of taking care of them. If he couldn't do it, then he would ask for help. He didn't have as much pride as she did.

_I said that I would ask for help about my face when on my deathbed, so here. Help me, divine powers. _She thought right before black took over. In her dreams, she kept replaying her last moments of them. Them. Her family. The one thing she would die for.

In her pocket, Hawikanna glowed a sweet and comforting silver, warming that part of her slightly.


	8. Epilogue

Silence is Key

OMG! The last chapter! It makes me cry, actually. I love Victoria to death! Just wondering, should I make a sequel? I kinda feel like I left this a cliff hanger, but I really don't know. Hmm. Could you guys give me an idea?

And a REALLY BIG THANKS to smiffyizdabest! Thank you for sticking with me through this story!

* * *

Scott sighed sadly as he bit into an apple. It was his turn to watch over the group while they slept, and he was glad. He wanted time to think, to figure things out. In his hand as a scrap of paper with something written on it. He had just found it tonight as he looked through everything in the bag.

_Heylow two hoo reads thiss. Go two _**Mr. Dickinson **_fore he wille helpe yuu owt_. Someone else had obvious written the man's name, considering that it wasn't malled by horrible grammar. So, that was their destination, if he was even able to get the group to one of the BBA buildings. One thing that worried him was the fact that Victoria hadn't caught up yet. She knew where they were headed, she would have found them long ago. So why was she gone? Why hadn't she come back? It never took her more than a day to catch up, it had been three.

His questions didn't want to be answered. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore as he bit again into the tasteless apple. In his pocket, he could feel Sharkanna making a racket. Why? He did not know, but it meant something. Someday, he would figure out what the shark wanted, but until then he would just wait with a smile.

Sobbing echoed in the empty forest. Scott looked up to see Jennie crawling over to Spencer just to have him hug her. Jennie, she had taken Victoria's leaving the hardest. His Baby was upset that her Mama hadn't come back. A.J.'s loss as equally hard, seeing as Victoria was the first woman to show love and compassion to him as a child. All of a sudden, his haven was stolen away.

Then there was Bryan and Tala. Bryan had been moping around ever since they had left her alone on that cliff. After finding his sister again, she was torn away violently. And Tala, she had fallen for him. Only to leave the poor kid after kissing him. A hot kiss, he added, but a kiss all the same. It wasn't right to do that to Tala but knowing her, she did it to save them or something along those lines.

One good thing came out of that kiss though. It made him want to walk. Sure, he's still a bit shaky, but really moving on his own. Thank God.

Once again, he sighed. He loved Girlie and everything, but God! She really needed to get a better sense of timing. Why couldn't she have at least taken them to this Mr. Dickenson guy before running off? Then again, this is Victoria, the purple haired beauty that saved him from the police several times when he had taken her home. Victoria, one who would die just so those she loved could live another day.

All humans were fated to die, but how was up to them. For Victoria, it wasn't hard to choose. All she had to do was think of them, at least, that is what he thought. He was quite sure that she would gladly die for them. Maybe not for him alone, but for Snow Storm as a team, she would. Now. All he had left to do was make her dead happy, pardon the pun.

* * *

_Warmth. Sweet, tender warmth. Oh how I love thee. Wait. Waiiiiiit. Did I die? I was frozen cold last time a check…I want food. Now. No really. That's all I want. Never mind. I also want water._

As her train of thought followed that pattern, Victoria woke to find the sun shining in her eyes. She was laying on a mat in a large room. The wooden floor and door cause her to stiffen. Stone…She missed the stone of her castle, her home.

She tried to sit up, only to gasp in pain. Tears welled up in her eyes as a way to get rid of the pain. Her breathing came out fast and heavy, tears mingling with her breath. Just then, a woman came in. Her face was wrinkled and old but her blue eyes sparkled playfully. A smile grace her face as she shuffled to Victoria's side.

"Lay back down. You broke your arm in at least five different places and your face was badly infected. I'm taking care of both." The old woman nodded as she watched Victoria with curious eyes. "What were you doing frozen in a river?" She asked.

Green eyes looked at blue, conveying pain. She lifted her left hand to rub her own throat.

"Oh. You're mute. That's fine, my husband will bring in some food. Call if you need me." Victoria opened her mouth before the woman put a bell by her head. She waved 'bye' before leaving out the same door.

Victoria dove deep into her head, thinking about her family. The tears kept coming, but this time because of an emotional pain. She heard, but didn't see, a man walk in with a tray of food. Before even daring to move, she sat up slowly before looking at the plate. It had buttered toast, orange juice, and apples. Her left hand quickly snaked out to grab a piece of bread. She nibbled a bit on the edge before moaning in pleasure.

She had never eaten golden bread filled with warmth. The butter was a mouth's gold, the most exotic and rare thing ever tasted. She savored the first slice but pigged out on all the others. The heavenly taste sent her into a state of bliss. And the apples, those sweet, sweet apples. Sticky juices dribbled down her face as she tore into the food that only a starved animals could harbor.

The blankets rustled as she settled back down. She closed her eyes and went in search of her voice. Instead of the floating white mist that her voice tended to take shape in, she found the two girls she'd dreamed of. They were both sitting at a low table while drinking tea.

_Yes. You can leave. But, we're going to rest here for awhile. Holding death back really is a chore. _The younger one yawned, leaning back onto the floor

_Learn to write, make friends your own age. Live the life were weren't given. You must rest, or else death will come back in full vengeance. _The older one sighed as she drank more tea. _You need to stay strong, otherwise we all go tumbling down._

She nodded in the real world, knowing that they could see her. Victoria had a feeling in the back of her head that she wasn't wearing her normal clothing, but she disregarded it. All she knew was that she was well-fed, content, and warm.

Yes. She did miss her family. The only reason she was staying here was so she could get to them faster. Not long to wait, family. She'll be there the second she can.

_Just wait for me. I'll come, if I can._ Victoria thought before letting sleep take over. The last thing she saw was Younger and Older, both happily drinking tea. She had to trust them, for she only trusted herself and they were her.


End file.
